Tag: winter skin

Let’s take a step back into 2008. President Barak Obama was making his way into office, Beyoncé released the epic feminist anthem, “If I Were a Boy,” and I was getting my first pimple. Dun. Dun. Dun.

At 13 years old, you can imagine my first pimple seeming like the end of the world. How would that boy in my class like me with a zit the size of Texas on my forehead?

I’m happy to say that not only have my priorities changed, but so has the condition of my skin. I’ve, of course, had my ups and downs through my skin journey. I’m grateful for all my humps in the road because it forced me to learn more about skincare.

With my finicky skin, I’ve developed a fascination with ingredients and how they meet different skin concerns. Also, as an avid reader I’ve always been a sucker for a good story. That’s why my visit to the SephoraTysons Corner Mall was so special.

I was invited to sit in and join reps from Fresh Beauty, Caudalie and Sunday Riley for an in-store pampering event. This included a custom mini-service, which included a double cleanse from one brand, mask from a second and a treatment and moisturizer from the last. I also got the chance to have story times with all of the reps from each of the brands. If it’s not obvious, I immediately jumped at the chance.

I began my pampering session with Fresh from Sales and Education Coordinator for Fresh, Laura Arzate. Fresh is an amazing brand that uses a lot of natural ingredients, like seaberry oil, sugar, sake and more! Laura was incredibly sweet and started me out by testing my skin to really gauge my skin type. To my surprise, she marked my skin as “normal/dry.” I always thought I was just oily!

The story of the brand is pretty amazing. It all started in their OG apothecary store in Boston, “Nuts about Beauty,” where they created and sold a number of natural beauty products, including their famous oval soap. Also, with some research, I found that the founders, Lev Glazman and Alina Roytberg, were the first to use sugar as an exfoliant! (Now we see sugar as an exfoliant for our face, lips and skin! Talk about a revolutionary innovation!) They’ve always been very passionate about skincare rituals, which shows with their lines that they’ve come out with to today. One bar of soap turned into some of my favorite products, like the Black Tea Instant Perfecting Mask, Sugar Rosé Tinted Lip Treatment and more. This year, Fresh is celebrating 25 years of innovation.

We went into the double cleanse, where she started off with the Seaberry Skin Nutrition Cleansing Oil. She explained that she wanted to get my skin clean, without stripping my natural oils, which is why this was perfect. It really helped to cleanse my face and give me some (much needed!) hydration.

Then she finished cleansing with the Soy Face Cleanser. (Did you know that Soy Skincare was first introduced in 1999?) Soy is rich with anti-oxidants, which are said to soften skin while maintaining elasticity. It’s also good for sensitive skin because it contains cucumber and rosewater, which are calming and soothing ingredients for your skin. I’m interested in trying this one out some more because I had a weird reaction several years ago when I first tried it. When we tried it this time around, I didn’t see any breakouts or irritation, so that’s a definite plus!

I scooted over to Caudalie, where we went into exfoliating my skin. I learned more about the brand from the rep, Amy Schaeffer! The story of Caudalie begins in France with a couple. What you would be surprised to learn is their products are very eco-friendly. You won’t find any preservatives or animal by-products. I even got to learn what the deal was with the grapes. Apparently in 1993, they met with Professor Joseph Vercauteren, who shared his amazing discovery. A special nutrient, called phenolic compounds, that were extracted from grape seeds, which are significantly more effective than Vitamin E. (In case you don’t know, Vitamin E is great for reducing wrinkles, nourishes, lightens dark marks and much more!)

Over at Caudalie, we went into their Instant Detox Mask, which I have to say, I really love. It contains clay, but I didn’t get that tight, drying feeling that I’ve experienced with others. This has to do with the grape seed in it! My skin felt very soft when we got it all rinsed off. (I’m definitely going to purchase this for myself soon!)

We finished off with a couple spurts of the famous Beauty Elixir, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary. (Here’s where you can get the elixir with the special 20th anniversary packaging.) If you haven’t tried it yet, I’m going to advise you to immediately go into your nearest Sephora and try it out. I immediately fell in love with the toning spray because of its minty scent.

After that, I finished off at Sunday Riley for some treatment and (Apparently much needed!) hydration! I got to learn about Sunday herself and her story when building her brand from Jennifer Hatton. (AKA the girl with perfect skin.) I thought it was so interesting to learn about how involved Sunday was with all creating all the products in her line. Sunday isn’t only the CEO of her brand, but she’s the formulator of her products! Talk about total #BossBabe.

(Also, they just released the Auto Correct Brightening and Depuffing Eye Contour Cream on Sephora.com for Rouge members ONLY, so check it out while you have the chance!)

During story time, Jen treated my skin with some classic products. We started with the Martian Mattifying Melting Water-Gel Tone. She used this specifically for me because I did explain that I tend to get pretty oily in my t-zone. It transforms from a green gel into a very thin and lightweight water oner that is said to help with tightening pores, clarify and remove oils. Looking into the ingredients, I understand how it’s going to do all of that. It contains Bentonite Clay, which mattifies, while the green tea and marshmallow soothes the skin. (Yeah, marshmallow!) I did like how lightweight it was so that was a definite plus!

Because I still have some issues with breakouts and texture here and there, went in with the U.F.O. Ultra-Clarifying Face Oil. I do advise you to be careful with this because though it’s a phenomenal product, it does contain Salicylic Acid, which, in some cases can cause dryness and peeling, especially if you overuse it. In case you want to try it out anyways, get a sample from Sephora and test it on a small part of your neck for a couple days. This should give you a better idea of if you’re sensitive to it!

We also went into the C.E.O. Rapid Flash Brightening Serum with is basically the Beyoncé of Vitamin C’s. (I refuse to apologize for all my Beyoncé references.) This is perfect for lightening your dark marks and brightening your overall complexion. When she first applied it to my skin, I immediately smelled oranges, which I’m a big fan of. I’m also a fan of the glow that I got. I’m definitely interested in testing this out some more in the future!

Last, but not least, we went into the Tidal Brightening Enzyme Water Cream. It’s perfect for brightening (I sense a trend!) your complexion, which we could all use during this crazy Virginia weather. (I’m convinced Mother Nature just said screw fall and skipped right into winter.) It’s a thin consistency and absorbs very nicely into the skin and keeps you hydrated. I left Sephora extremely hydrated!

All in all, I had a fantastic time during the Skincare Affair at Sephora Tysons Corner and would totally jump at the chance to go again. That’s why you’ll definitely see me on Saturday, December 9 during the Beauty Circuit with Hourglass, Fresh and Living Proof in Sephora Montgomery Mall! Will I be seeing you there?

Have you all tried out any of these products? I’d love to get your thoughts on them! Let me know in the comments!